'Kicks For Guns' Gets Guns Off Streets, Fatal Shooting Shuts Down Turnpike

[The Straight Story]

'Kicks For Guns' Gets Guns Off Streets
Event Spreads To New Locations Throughout Central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A program to help get illegal guns off the streets is spreading to new locations throughout Central Florida.

"Kicks for Guns" is a popular event and a major tool to help police fight crime.

Law enforcement officials ask people to turn over unwanted and unloaded firearms, no questions asked.

Last year in Orlando the event collected hundreds of guns in exchange for a free pair of brand-name shoes or a gift card to a number of different stores in the area.

Orlando police Sgt. Barb Jones said the first gun turned in this year was a .22-caliber pen gun and so far 95 have been turned in at the Citrus Bowl.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/20395681/detail.html

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Fatal Shooting Shuts Down Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike Closed In Broward County


DAVIE, Fla. -- The Florida's Turnpike is closed in both directions in Broward County following a shooting that left one man dead.

Authorities say the man was northbound on the turnpike and was shot at multiple times. The car struck the center median between Griffin and Sterling roads.

The Florida Highway Patrol is routing northbound traffic off the highway at Exit 49/Hollywood Boulevard and southbound traffic is being routed off the highway at Exit 53/Griffin Road.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/20401006/detail.html

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So who were turning the guns in, law abiding people who had no desire to use them in crimes or criminals?

[Tim01]

1. A pen gun? No kidding?

I've never even seen one of those things. That's surprising. I would have expected it to be a collectors item or something.

[spin]

2. This news report says someone turned in a missile launcher...

A special program got more than 250 guns off the streets of Orange County, including one designed to blow jets out of the sky.

The Orlando Police Department, Orange County Sheriff's Office, and Real Radio 104.1 held their annual Kicks for Guns campaign in Orlando Friday.

People turned in their guns -- no questions asked -- for a free pair of sneakers.

Officials said they received zip guns, shotguns, assault rifles, a 1903 32-caliber Colt pistol and a 4-foot-long surface-to-air missile launcher. In return he got a pair of size-3 Reebok sneakers for his daughter.

Several stolen guns were also turned in.
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2007/8/18/kicks_for_guns_brings_in_250_guns.html

[-..__...]

3. This is an old news story...

and the alleged "surface-to-air missile launcher" was a discarded TOW anti-tank missile tube (more like a shipping container).

So much for the integrity and authoritative experience of law enforcement officials and journalists when it comes to firearms. :eyes:

[spin]

4. The dateline on the link said "Tuesday, May 19, 2009"

But I also found a story with a dateline of Friday, August 17, 2007.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police were hoping for a good turnout at their "Kicks for Guns" sneaker exchange Friday, but they weren't expecting to get a surface-to-air missile launcher.

An Ocoee man showed up and exchanged the 4-foot-long launcher for size-3 Reebok sneakers for his daughter, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,293666,00.html

It's such a good story that they recycle it every couple years.